Beer-related travel, at home and abroad, exploring and indulging my passion for beer.

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Good Night in Spoons Yesterday

We held our bi-monthly CAMRA committee meeting in the Sevenoaks Wetherspoons last night. We braved arctic winds walking up the hill from the station, but it was worth it as the Sennockian had some excellent beers on tap.

My favourite of the evening was Ammonite from Dorset Brewing Company, a well-hopped, pale 4.5% bitter, in which the flavour of the American Chinook hops were well to the fore. Also on tap was Churchyard Bob, a darkish, 4.9% bitter from The Warwickshire Beer Company. Although good, I preferred the Ammonite. Rounding off the trio of guest ales was Hog's BackWinter Ale. This fine example of a dark old ale was just the thing to round the evening off with. It made the walk back to the station just that little bit less cold!

The meeting itself went ok, but was perhaps a shade too long. However, we had a considerable amount of business to get through, so this was hardly surprising. The staff of the Sennockian had laid on some nibbles for us (sausage rolls, party eggs, cheese straws, plus some very tasty cubes of mature cheddar). This was a most welcome, yet totally unexpected gesture on their part, and combined with the excellent beer made the proceedings pass just that little bit quicker.

Granted, the Ammonite would have been better on a warm summer's evening, but was still a very tasty drop of beer. The Hog's Back Winter Ale though, complemented the freezing temperatures outside perfectly.

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About Me

Sixty years old (just) and married with one twenty-something son, who shows no sign of wanting to
leave home. My interests are many and varied, and whilst beer (and the
enjoyment of it) obviously features high on the list I also enjoy travelling
(particularly when it involves searching out new beers to try), cycling and
walks in the countryside. I dabble a bit in gardening, which at the moment
primarily involves re-landscaping my garden. My other main interests though are
music, especially 70's rock music, and history. I have been a member of CAMRA
since the mid 1970's and have edited a number of local branch magazines. I have
also had published two, now sadly out of date, guides to Kent
pubs. For six years my wife and I also ran our own successful real-ale
off-licence, which as well as selling cask ale to take away by the pint,
offered one of the best selections of bottled beers in the south east. Prior to
taking on the shop, I was an accomplished home-brewer producing a wide range of
full-mash beers; something I intend to get back into in the not too distant
future.